Annabelle, age 6, walks with the help of a Smart Textiles super suit

Six-year-old Annabelle Quinn from Melbourne, Australia has cerebral palsy. It makes her muscles become so rigid that she has difficulty moving and, above all, walking. But with the help of the Mollii suit, which Smart Textiles has been involved in developing, she can now move much better, Nine News Australia reports in an August 2019 story.

“It allows me to play more,” says Annabelle, commenting on the garment in Nine News Australia.

Annabelle often demonstrates the garment and its features at a training center for cerebral palsy in her hometown. With her increased mobility and a stronger self-esteem, she now aims to take part in the Melbourne Marathon in October, where the goal is to walk the last 100 meters wearing the Mollii suit. The purpose is to raise money for the training center.

About Mollii:

Mollii, formerly called Electrodress, is a suit with integrated electrodes for multifocal transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS or TNS) designed to self-treat spasticity as a result of cerebral palsy or a stroke. It has been developed together with Smart Textiles and the research team in medical technology at the University of Borås.

The suit can be described as a tight garment with electrodes. The electrodes are programmed according to each person’s symptoms. The purpose of the suit is to reduce unwanted reflexes and stiffness, making it possible to improve range of motion and functional ability.

Mollii was launched in the Swedish market as a medical device in late 2012 by Inerventions, maker of medical devices to alleviate spasticity and reduced mobility.

The Mollii costume can be viewed in both child and adult sizes in the Smart Textiles Showroom at the Textile Fashion Center in Borås.